Cities of Foundation
by IAmForReal
Summary: The Megaforce team meets some "legendary" people as their ensuing battles continue.


Troy instantly realizes that the leader of the Silver Guardians Wesley Collins is a red ranger and acts as if the situation were somehow normal.

He lets Troy call him Wes as they get paired up for his community service assignment. He's a part of Harwood County High's JROTC program, and everything seems to fit right within senior year. His mom got a new job, school didn't bother him, and he had friends. It's something he's never experienced before, and it all likes to surge within his chest, especially when he's doing something good. His natural awkward self only comes in bits and pieces as he speaks in comfort with the Time Force Red Ranger.

"You want to go into the military?" Wes asks him the day he shows up. It's because Troy comes decorated in his complete uniform just as everyone else had, and he and Wes aren't that different.

"I...don't know," Troy answers. "They're my heroes, and I guess I want to save the world like they do. Make a difference somehow. Like you."

"I'm sure you can save the world," Wes assures. "As long as you have your heart in it and the people around you to support you."

Wes's partner Eric teaches him how to shoot a real gun, and Troy likes the idea of being a local hero. Even though he's rusty, he thinks he hears Eric mutter how he'll do a satisfactory job, but the impressed grin still seeps through his voice. He tells the young red that he has drive and dedication, and he takes it to heart.

It's in the shooting range when his morpher beeps, the small face of Gosei glowing in his pocket. Troy freezes, and it's too late to excuse himself to the bathroom and teleport back to Harwood fifteen minutes away. Either way, Wes deciphers the whole familiarity.

"You could be a little more discreet," Wes says and gestures to his pocket. Troy only smiles sheepishly. "But I suppose you could morph for us."

"Oh please do," Eric says while he takes out his morpher. His voice is more mocking than Wes's. "I'd like to see your suit next to ours."

After his two weeks of helping with the Silver Guardians are up, Wes promises him a spot on the Silver Guardians after he finishes what he wants to do, and that the power rangers will always be his family.

~X~X~X~

Noah likes the thought of fixing someone's problem. But he's extremely bad at emotional things so he thinks he's meant for toys and engines only. That's what his dad potentially thinks too. Mr. Carver is the one constantly sending him out to fix things of friends and relatives, saying he puts his son to good use. Noah knows how much he really does care, and that he's not a tool.

This time, Noah's over at Angel Grove, which lights him up secretly because he knows ranger history. This is one he obliges to go to, so he drives himself over to the city of Power Ranger foundation to help fix some lights and a speaker for a local concert. It's not extensive ranger stuff like repairing the morphing grid, but it'll do. Anything to make himself feel useful. There were too many people for him to expect hustling around to make sure everything was perfect, even thought it would never be. He only meets one.

"Noah," Mr. Greg, the friend of his father, ushers him over to a tall man ready to go in a green jumpsuit. "This is Damon Henderson. Make sure you get along with him, because everything needs to be perfect!"

"You're more of the scientific type," Damon declares after they spend two minutes and thirteen seconds fixing blue and green wires inside the speakers with silence. Noah had already decreed that Damon was more of a wing-man, to go as it came.

"Full STEM honors," Noah says, without taking his eyes off the blue wires he's so carefully placing back in. "You seem more of the engineering type."

"I mean, yeah..." Damon replies, and Noah can see him gesturing to his jumpsuit and box of tools. "And I don't like to figure _everything _out as once. I like to see how things will come on their own, and go from there."

Noah finally looks up at him.

~X~X~X~

Jake sprains his ankle right as he makes the winning shot for Harwood's soccer team, and everyone scolds him for not wanting to go to the doctor. He knows that Emma's mother is a doctor, and would much rather go to her. Or Emma. Something about the doctor's scares him a lot. Maybe the thought of breathing around needles or the fact that something could be wrong intimidates him at every level.

This doctor he likes. Her name's Dr. Dana Grayson and she already knows he doesn't like the doctors. She also knows that he's a man and still gives him a lollipop to soothe him.

"You can't grow too old for some things," Dana tells him. "Enjoy it while you can. And then, keep enjoying it."

Jake pauses, and then admits to her, "I don't want to grow up."

She looks at him curiously. "Then don't. Mr. Holling, instead of worrying about the future, I believe you should start worrying about your ankle."

~X~X~X~

Cassie Chan is one of Emma's favorite artists of all time.

A part of her appreciates the more nontraditional rock music Cassie plays in a totally pop-immersed society. It isolates her from the rest of the people, just like Emma is, and she feels a connection in the color shirts they always wear. And for her birthday, she finally gets two tickets to her concert in Angel Grove.

She volunteers and ends up dragging Noah to the concert instead of Gia, who's heading over to Turtle Cove to a relative's house. She insists that Noah should have some more fun, so she doesn't mind that he blabbers on about his new complex mechanical project for STEM as long as she's not alone.

It turns out the concert's an exclusive, only with a small group of people squeezed into a little place called "Ernie's" in the heart of Angel Grove. Everyone is wearing coordinated colors, and it feels comfortable against her eyes. And when Cassie Chan appears on stage, she spots the pink first before her. For some reason, it's like there's a tether to the morphing grin and all the power coursing through the lines of the world. Emma recalls the envelope she got, from Mia Wantanabe of the Samurai team. She looks at her favorite singer with a new color of stars in her eyes.

At the end of the concert, Emma is the one blabbering to Noah about how amazing the concert was. He's smiling at her with a new light too before a lean shadow smiles over them. Emma's jaw drops before she looks up.

"Thanks so much for coming," Cassie says to her. "I'm glad you got my invitation."

"Uh..."

Cassie lets out a chuckle as Noah nudges her, but he's smiling nervously too. "Here." Cassie takes out a picture she can't see and swiftly scribbles on it. It's soon outstretched to Emma. "I hope this is special enough to send you home with."

"Uh..."

"Sorry if it was so brief, but you must have school tomorrow..." she notes. "I would've loved to talk to you."

"_You_ want to talk to _me_?" Emma finally exclaims. But Cassie just nods, squeezes her shoulder, and swims away into the crowd. Emma unrolls the folder, with Noah peering over her shoulder.

_Fly High, Megaforce Pink- From Cassie Chan to Emma Goodall._

~X~X~X~

Gia is one of Harwood County's gems. Well known by the mayor, prominent in the community, and popular for her strong yet compassionate force. So when a local office building has a small fire on the tenth floor, the city doesn't need to tell Gia that she has to help. No one has to anymore.

She helps escort everyone out of the building, and even though she can't go deep into it, she remains on the tenth floor to help anyone to pass. Every time she bursts out of the building, an excited and prideful chatter runs about. But Gia could care less of it. She just wants everyone to be okay. She clearly remembers one man, a broad one in a bright red tie who was doing her job, but with adding the fire extinguisher in the mix. He had a small red action figure jutting out of his pocket.

"Aim at the bottom of the floor," Gia tells him. He simply looks at her, a stubborn gleam in his eyes, but obliges anyway. "You should be out there, Mr..." She glances on his shirt. "Mr. Leo. Leo's your surname?"

Once the flames successfully begin to dissipate, he turns to her. "It's Corbett. But that makes me feel too professional. I still want to show people the childish side of me with a tie on."

Gia smirks and corrects his techniques.

~X~X~X~

Jake hears of the fire too, and is overwhelmed with the amount of people, cop cars, and ambulances sitting in a circle. But he came here with a mission. That's how he was passing water bottles out to all the firemen, their dusty grateful faces making Jake feel guilty for all he complains of.

A sudden crash comes behind him, and he turns just in time to see another firefighter falling with glass and landing on a safety mat. He wants to run over there, but everyone beats him to it. A paramedic speeds over and takes the victim to the ambulance, and Jake thinks she looks a lot like Ms. Dana Grayson. When the space is clear, he walks over with his own water bottle. The fireman sits up and instead of a hand, Jake gives him a water bottle.

"You need this more than I do, sir," Jake says.

"Thanks," the latter replies and Jake nods with a smile.

"You probably saved someone's life there," he tells him. The fireman nods with a smile.

"That's what I hope for. There's a certain pride you take in changing lives and doing good for others."

"You think I could do that?"

"I think anyone and everyone can do that." He accepts Jake's hand this time before a voice calls the name of Carter in the vacancy. The fireman gives him a smile before taking off, leaving Jake in the pondering mist.

~X~X~X~

Orion trains in the middle of the forest and thinks that Earth and Andresia aren't so distant after all. Every time those shots and blasts fire off in his head, he thinks of where he is now and everything seems to ease up on him, a weight off his shoulder. Yet some days are worse than others, because he feels more and more alone as time wears by. He has friends, but he sometimes wants something more and feels selfish because he's not grateful for what he has.

One day he trains, he bursts into tears in the middle of it all and finds himself on his knees and glistening the leaves with the memories of his loved ones. The ones that all disappeared before him, seemingly faded into thin air in his eyes, like they were meant to leave. Like he was meant to be alone. And even when he hears footsteps coming behind him, the whole world feels empty.

"You have to fight every demon within you," a female says as she comes around to step in front of him.

"I lost everything," he whispers and doesn't know who he speaks to. But she kneels down in front of him.

"Me too. Or I thought I did. That was after my parents died and I was captured by a bunch of monsters and separated from my brother. But he brought me back, even when I could've been gone. It was something to fight for. And now, I have a whole galaxy worth of friends." Orion looks up at her with misty eyes and she smiles. "I'm Karone and I turn every weakness into a strength."

He sighs. "I should be grateful instead of lamenting over what I have lost."

But Karone shrugs. "It's okay to cry."

So he does.

~X~X~X~

There's a bullying prevention event going on at a local Tae Kwon Do center in Panorama City that Troy signs up for. He'll stop everything before it happens. There are about three adults, ten teens, and a hundred kids all circled in a high-ceiling dojo downtown. He's in charge of a small group of younger kids with another girl who seems only a bit older than him named Emily. She's quiet, humble, and carries her own unique smile that was sure to light up anyone's day.

"Self-defense isn't about being violent," Troy tells the younger versions of himself. He demonstrates a punch forward and they follow. "It represents more of the little things. Protection..."

Emily comes beside him with a tiny smile and does her own kick, which everyone mirrors with great eagerness. "Strength."

"Power..."

"But control." And he and Emily seemed to work seamlessly, little kids sharing comfort, versatility, and voice. Emily reminds Troy more of himself than anybody. After practice is when he proves his own theory, where Emily was bullied as a kid and did her best to tune them out. And succeeded.

"I don't like watching young kids get hurt," she admits sadly and looks around the room. "Getting called stupid can hurt someone just as much as their mom dying can. I've been there. I've come home crying everyday. I've seen it all."

"Hurts doesn't it?" he says while leaning back. He looks up and the ceiling looks like it could touch the sky, miles away from them. "It's a big world, and we're not supposed to know everything that's coming."

Troy hears Emily slow her breathing and then lean back with him. "You're really good with kids. You'd make a good father."

~X~X~X~

When Emma's performing with her choir in the middle of the city, she doesn't expect a full on flash mob. And yet there are people dancing and chanting along with her group as they circle and stand on the fountain. In the corner of her eye, she finds her team looking at her with pride. Jake lurches himself out into the crowd in the hopes to dance and it's Gia who pulls him back and everyone else who shouts in protest. She nearly laughs into her small microphone and instead focuses on the break-dancers in front of her.

There's a certain boy who steals the show and lights up the whole crowd. Emma has never seen him before today, and the bright green shirt and pride tell her she's right. But he's moving and flipping all over the floor and she can't help but show how impressed she is with a big smile.

After the show, she musters up the courage and walks over to the star performer with her friend Audrey, who wants to meet (shag) the cute Latino dancer. He's glowing with sweat and a big smile that reminds her of Jake.

"That was amazing," she commends. "Thanks for firing up the crowd for us."

"Nice moves..." Audrey adds, biting her lip.

He grins. "I get them from my _papi._ A special Puerto-Rican flair. And great performance too."

"Thanks," Audrey gets to it before Emma can and outstretches her hand. "I'm Audrey, and this is Emma."

"Mike."

~X~X~X~

TJ practically saves Noah's life by saving the life of his laptop first. When the tall, not-too intimidating man in blue hands him back his computer, he lets him now with a big sigh of relief.

After he orders a coffee, he sits next to him in the cafe. "I can tell it was important."

"It was," Noah replies proudly and taps the smooth blue top. "All my work, my accomplishments, things that give me comfort, are stored on this computer. I'd be dead without it."

"Okay," he chuckles. "But don't get too much screen time. You know you can have all your work, accomplishments, and things that give you comfort outside of your room, right?"

Noah is in awe of how precise the statement is, and he grows a smile. "I'm Noah."

"Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson. But people just call me TJ."

~X~X~X~

"You could've done something instead of stand around!"

"I had to go help my friends too!"

"I'm sure they're big boys now. They can help themselves!"

That's how Gia found herself fighting with Kira Ford, an alternative rock and popstar in the middle of Reefside. On Emma's persistence, she was dragged to a Kira Ford concert forty minutes away, and after the show found a platoon of X-Borgs parading into Reefside. Gia had only gotten furious at the fact that while people were in danger, Kira Ford had left the scene to help two others who seemed to fighting just fine without her.

"Trust me, they wouldn't be able to last," Kira scoffed.

"That still means you don't leave innocent people in danger."

"So I should just leave my friends in danger then?"

"You're not listening! They. Were. FINE."

"Okay! What's going on?" A sudden shadow looms over the two blondes to break them up. Gia huffs and looks up, prepared to yell at him for not letting her talk some sense into a popstar. He has spiky black hair and thinly framed glasses and looks too much like a teacher.

Kira brushes off his arm and glares at her. "This...kid here thinks I don't know how to help the people!"

"It's because you don't do it like you should," Gia retorts, when in retrospect she knows there is no certain way to do it.

"Come on, Tommy..." Kira mutters.

"You could've taken her suggestion, though. I think Conner and Ethan could've handled themselves." Gia sticks her tongue out at her, but then Tommy turns to her. "But I wouldn't prefer you to be yelling at my friend. She has her own method to her madness and her intentions were all good."

Gia knows that, finally does something imperfectly, and looks down begrudgingly. "I know that..."

Kira tries to find her gaze. "I went to them because that's where most of them were. I was hoping we could fend them _all_ off."_  
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"Which is really smart," Gia admits with a sigh. "But I...I wanted to be the hero too. And helping others is my main point of it all."

"You act like there's only one army man in the world," Kira says. "There can be a lot of heroes. Just have to open your eyes, that's all." Gia looks at her and her eyes apologize for her.

"That's a great concept," Tommy says. "If I didn't know any better, you could be a power ranger."

Gia lets out a laugh which is traced by a small smirk.

~X~X~X~

So when the Megaforce team meets up at Ernie's, they find themselves in similar situations of discovery and self-discovery. All of them meet a hero who can save the day in their own unique way, big or small, direct or indirect. They all meet someone who has left marks on their foreheads, someone who brings a different species of light, and they never thought the world to be so big.

It's almost legendary.


End file.
